Job Description:

Cost Manager
Salary: £40,000 - £50,000
Location: Exeter / Cornwall

Package: Car Allowance or EV Company Vehicle, Pension, Healthcare, 26 Days Holiday | Hybrid Working

Major Infrastructure Projects | South West Water AMP8
A leading UK civil engineering contractor is looking to appoint a Cost Manager to support its long-term delivery of infrastructure projects across the South West Water AMP8 framework.
This is an opportunity to join an established commercial team, playing an important role in ensuring project expenditure is accurately recorded, allocated and managed across a busy programme of civil engineering and utilities work.
With flexibility to be based in Exeter or Cornwall, the position offers hybrid working and an excellent overall package.

The Role

As Cost Manager, you'll take responsibility for overseeing the accurate allocation and reconciliation of monthly project costs, ensuring expenditure is recorded against the correct projects, activities and cost codes.
Working closely with site managers, supervisors, commercial teams and finance colleagues, you'll help ensure that costs incurred across the framework are properly captured and accounted for.

Using the company's IFS financial management system, you'll be responsible for maintaining accurate cost records and ensuring expenditure is allocated appropriately in line with the relevant NEC contractual arrangements.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Reviewing and reconciling monthly expenditure across multiple infrastructure projects.
• Ensuring labour, plant, materials, subcontractor and other project costs are allocated to the correct projects and cost codes.
• Working closely with operational teams to investigate discrepancies and ensure costs are accurately recorded.
• Maintaining and reviewing cost information within the IFS system.
• Supporting the commercial team in identifying recoverable and non-recoverable expenditure under the relevant NEC contract provisions.
• Ensuring accurate financial information is available to support monthly reporting and commercial reviews.
• Liaising with project managers, site supervisors and finance teams to resolve coding and allocation queries.
• Identifying opportunities to improve cost recording processes, accuracy and financial controls.

What We're Looking For

We're open to candidates from a range of backgrounds, including construction finance, accounts, purchase ledger, cost control or quantity surveying.
You don't necessarily need to be an experienced Quantity Surveyor or have spent your career working in civil engineering.

What matters most is your ability to understand financial information, work accurately with cost data and communicate effectively with the people responsible for delivering projects.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• Experience in cost allocation, financial reconciliation, purchase ledger, project accounting or commercial cost management.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to identify discrepancies in financial records.
• Confidence working with financial management systems, spreadsheets and cost reporting information.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work with operational and commercial colleagues.
• A methodical, organised approach to managing large volumes of financial information.
• An understanding of construction project costs or NEC contracts would be advantageous, although not essential.
• Previous experience using IFS would be beneficial, but isn't a requirement.

This position could particularly suit an experienced accounts or finance professional looking to move into a project-focused role, or a Quantity Surveyor who enjoys the financial and analytical side of construction but would prefer a predominantly internal position without the usual client-facing commercial responsibilities.

What's In It For You?

You'll be joining a well-established contractor with a substantial pipeline of secured infrastructure work across the South West.
Alongside a competitive salary, you'll receive:

• £40,000 - £50,000 salary
• Car allowance or EV company vehicle
• Strong company pension
• Healthcare package
• 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Continued professional development
• Long-term career opportunities within a major UK civil engineering contractor
• The security of working on the South West Water AMP8 framework

Interested?

Whether you're currently working in construction finance, accounts, purchase ledger, cost control or quantity surveying, we'd be interested in hearing from you.

If you're organised, commercially aware and enjoy getting into the detail of project finances, this could be an excellent opportunity to develop your career within a major infrastructure programme.